Hubertus Heil: The Worker | tagesschau.de

Hubertus Heil has never made himself particularly popular with the coalition partner. Other things are likely to be more important to the Minister of Labor, such as the basic pension. But Heil also had to swallow compromises. A balance sheet.

Sweat stands on Hubertus Heil’s forehead. It’s almost 30 degrees, the sun is shining on the construction site in Berlin Moabit. Heil wants to know from 16-year-old Hellena van der Wall how she came up with the idea of ​​training in construction. “My mother drives a truck, she sometimes smells like tar when she comes home,” she says. “I thought that was kind of good.” That’s why she does an internship, then the training in the company, all of that in the pandemic.

The Minister of Labor is satisfied. His training pact with companies is effective, at least here: the state gives companies 4,000 euros for apprenticeships and 6,000 euros for new training positions. Heil doesn’t want a Corona year, that’s why the premiums. The social democrat wants to secure fair wages and pensions and jobs – especially in the pandemic and on the last few meters of the grand coalition.

But it has been tough in the past few years to come to an agreement with the Union on a specific figure, a regulation or even a law. The roughly 35 laws, ordinances and guidelines that came from Heils Haus are correspondingly laboriously worked out.

Chamber of salvation

When Heil started as minister in 2018, he called the Ministry of Labor the heart chamber of the federal government. When it comes to cardiac arrhythmias, there are social upheavals and economic problems, he said at the time. He is now looking back on many disruptions, some of which were caused by the coalition partner. The biggest disruption, however, was Corona.

And here Heil likes to fall back on a picture – this time of monsters from Greek mythology: “Our work in the pandemic was sometimes like a fight against the hydra,” he says. “When we cut off one head and one problem was solved, two others grew back.”

An extreme time. Jobs had to be secured, short-time work benefits decided quickly. “When I saw the number of short-time working hours of six million in April last year, I was already a little drowsy,” admits the SPD man. Among other things, he was accused of investing in zombie companies. But that’s nonsense, so Heil.

If there were successes in the fight against the consequences of the pandemic, they were mostly seen as the success of the grand coalition, the success of Chancellor Merkel. Heil’s party, the SPD, did not get much of the glamor. On the contrary: If there was criticism in the small print, Heil had to go.

Mask quarrel with Spahn

Suddenly, a department in his ministry became more important than ever: the occupational safety department, which had to take care of countless protection regulations in the pandemic. Most recently known from Jens Spahn’s dispute over safe masks with the Ministry of Health. Safety and agreed standards of masks took precedence – was the clear position of the Minister of Labor.

But Heil did not rumble against Spahn. Salvation is not one who rumbles. Others should do that. Heil is more the silent fighter, and he had to fight on many fronts. Against resistance from the industry, for example, when it came to compulsory testing in companies: Who should pay for it? Companies asked. Everyone should make a contribution in the pandemic – salvation’s answer.

In the pandemic, he stipulated the obligation for companies to offer home office for a limited time in the Infection Protection Act against great resistance. Heil wanted more: a law to regulate mobile working even after the pandemic. But that was vehemently rejected months ago by Minister of Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier. The conservatives are simply not ready yet, so Heils attempted explanation. A task for the next government. It is also still unclear how endless temporary contracts can be restricted in the future. And the self-employed are better protected in old age as well as a reform of the basic security – all heartfelt concerns of Heil. But he was far from able to push through everything.

On the positive side, the basic rent is right at the top. After a long dispute with the Union, he can put a catch here. The basic pension is often referred to as a milestone of the SPD in the party, and in the election campaign as the showpiece of government work.

Strictly speaking, Heil was the third basic pension minister since 2009. It is he who brings the project across the finish line. The basic pension is intended to benefit pensioners who, despite long contribution years, only receive low retirement benefits.

There was a dispute in the coalition about how it should be financed, how it should be checked and who would get it at all. In the beginning, he went beyond the coalition agreement, according to the accusation from the Union. Heil replies that he wants to create something that deserves the name basic rent. In the end, he prevailed, 1.3 million women and men will now, according to the ministry, have a right to a basic pension – after a lengthy examination.

But the pension will continue to be the determining topic for the ministry – no matter who will lead it in the future. Because pension levels and entry age are already being discussed during the election campaign. “I am clearly against a pension at 68. And it is also significant that the pension level is not mentioned in the CDU’s election manifesto,” says Heil. There is no courage to commit.

A mini care reform

There were also a lot of disagreements in the coalition when it came to care. Less as far as the grievances are concerned: the poor pay for carers is undisputed. In a concerted action with Ministers Spahn and Franziska Giffey, they had campaigned for higher wages in the industry years ago. But Giffey has resigned as family minister, and the harmony between Spahn and Heil is long gone.

When Heil made his own suggestion for better remuneration for nurses, Spahn saw this as an affront, after all, there was already a draft from the Ministry of Health. But that did not happen quickly enough. “We have little time, so I put pressure on it to come in the legislative period,” said Heil, justifying his advance.

In the end, a mini-reform was agreed. Social associations and trade unions speak of a “nursing form”. So here too there is still a lot of work to be done for the upcoming government. Heil would like to continue. But for this, his SPD would have to grow properly by September 26th.